The last of the KC-135 tankers that were flown and maintained by Air Force Reserve Command’s 940th Air Refueling Wing at Beale AFB, Calif., have departed for a new home at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C. The Appeal-Democrat reports that the 940th’s last two tankers flew off amid a water spray farewell May 3. According to earlier reports, the shift of the final aircraft wasn’t expected until this fall. Now, as part of BRAC 2005, many personnel of the 940th ARW will comprise an associate unit with the active force at Beale, performing command and control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
